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Your Career with
an Arts Degree
Careers with
Irish
Irish graduates and the
employment market
As with other languages, students who have
studied Irish have excellent communication skills
and broad cultural awareness. Graduates with a fluency in Irish are
sought after for numerous roles, and Irish is an asset for many jobs that may bring
graduates into contact with members of the public for whom Irish is their main language.
Skills acquired include:
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Well-developed interpersonal skills, including
listening, clarifying and questioning
• The ability to organise and memorise detailed
information
• Proficiency in phonetics
•
•
•
•
Evaluative and analytical skills
Problem solving and organisational skills
Self-reliance and adaptability
Cultural awareness
Source: “Degrees of Skill: Student Employability Profiles”
The Higher Education Academy.
www.nuigalway.ie/careers/arts
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Typical jobs for
Irish language graduates...
Irish graduates find employment in diverse fields.
Here are some of the most popular career destinations for
our Irish language graduates:
TV Production l Translator l Interpreter l Teaching
Public Service l Journalist l Local Government
Historian l Public Relations l Heritage Officer
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Note: Further qualifications may be needed for certain positions. This list is a sample of positions available.
Career Destinations of our Irish Language Graduates
It is useful to know what fellow graduates have done after obtaining their degree at NUI Galway.
The following are some of the roles our Irish graduates took up after graduation:
• TV Production, TG4
• Translation and Teaching, Europa Translation Carna
• Teaching Irish and Geography
• Events Organiser and Fundraiser, Amnesty International Dublin
• Fulbright Scholarship, University of Montana USA
• Duty Manager, Hotel Newport Mayo
• Translator, Freelance (MA)
• Teacher Irish and Geography, Donegal VEC
• Administrator with Heritage Centre, Blasket Islands, Office of Public Works
Source: NUI Galway First Destinations Survey
Boosting your employability with a degree in Irish
Irish language skills are particularly useful when combined with expertise in other fields.
Up to 40% of graduate employment opportunities are open to graduates of all disciplines. In most cases,
however you will need further postgraduate study or professional training.
.
Work experience is also a key issue and any experience you have to add to your CV will be a bonus.
Volunteering is also an excellent way of adding experience to your CV.
The Career Development Centre at NUI Galway has some reference books that may help you find
experience and some of the websites listed at the end of this leaflet also offer many opportunities.
There are some publications that may help keep you up-to-date. These publications also have many
advertisements from companies and consultancies and so can help also with job search and may be
available to reference in the Careers library.
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What Postgraduate Courses do
Irish Graduates do?
For certain career choices, employers may look for candidates
with further qualifications and training. Our Irish language
graduates frequently choose one of the following postgraduate
programmes at NUI Galway:
MA (Nua-Ghaeilge)
HDip in Education
MA (Pleanáil Teanga)
Dioplóma sna Dána
(Teicneolaíochtaí Gnó)
H.Dip.Appl.Sc. (Software
Design and Development)
MA (Léann Eireannach)
(Irish Studies)
Ard-Dioplóma i gCumarsáid
Fheidhmeach
Ard-Dioplóma sna Dána
(Léann an Aistriúcháin)
HDip in Business Studies
Other postgraduate programmes undertaken by previous
Irish graduates include:
HDip in Primary Education, Hibernia College
MA (Tourism & Hospitality), Napiers Edinburgh
Primary Teacher Training, Drumcondra
MA (International Tourism), UL
PGCE Primary, St Marys Belfast
PGCE Primary, Aberystwyth University
HDip Education
PhD Arts
Ard-Dioplóma i gCumarsáid Fheidhmeach
LLB
Dioplóma sa Ghaeilge
Postgraduate Diploma (Primary Education)
For information on studying in Ireland
and studying abroad with useful links
for many countries worldwide visit:
www.nuigalway.ie/careers
www.postgradireland.com also has
useful information on postgraduate
courses in Ireland,
www.prospects.ac.uk is an excellent
site for researching opportunities
in the UK and
http://ec.europa.eu/ploteus/
covers the EU.
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What our
students
say...
Liam OhAisibeil
Languages,
Lecturer, Head of School,
.
res
ltu
Literatures and Cu
dern Irish.
logy and I have an MA in Mo
I studied Irish and Psycho
D. in Irish.
I’m also completing my Ph.
range of
in Nua-Ghaeilge. I teach a
I work part-time as a tutor
nguistics.
ioli
Soc
and
e
tur
gration Litera
courses, for example in Mi
created
e Arts in Action, a specially
I also coordinate the modul
unique aspects of Galway’s
students that focuses on the
e in
course for visiting American
University’s Gaeltacht Centr
the
music tuition, visits to
es
lud
inc
is
Th
e.
itag
her
Gaeltacht
gramme.
TG4 also feature in this pro
An Cheathrú Rua. Visits to
urer in UL,
eer. I have worked as a lect
for a diverse and varied car
l
wel
me
ed
pare at short
par
pre
pre
to
e
has
abl
s
Art
folklore, which I was
and
es
am
cen
pla
in
rses
cou
dents on
for example, and taught
nt evaluations from my stu
standard. I received excelle
notice and deliver to a high
those courses.
e
d and sharpens your creativ
. Instead, it opens your min
job
one
e
for
wer
you
e
you
par
if
of
pre
am
Arts doesn’t
would never dre
k about possibilities that you
thin
to
my
you
of
e
ws
aus
allo
bec
It
h,
ial.
potent
se an academic pat
ly oriented programme. I cho
hiking
committed to a vocational
. I have travelled the world,
ker
wal
hill
n
topography as a kee
d
aile
det
my
by
ed
interests in landscape and
vid
spective pro
ces, and I have a unique per
ous,
end
trem
a
is
It
go.
I
and camping in diverse pla
ver
ape. I carry this where
dsc
lan
h
Iris
the
of
es
nam
study of the place
level.
a personal and professional
affirming resource at both
Where can I find out more?
We have found that the following websites contain relevant and interesting information for
students and graduates.
www.nuigalway.ie/gaeilge/
www.gaeilge.ie includes searchable directory of organisations
www.gleg.ie Gaillimh le Gaeilge
www.ucd.ie/bnag/ Bord na Gaeilge UCD
www.beo.ie
www.foinse.ie
www.gaelport.com/
www.localgovernmentjobs.ie
www.publicjobs.ie
MEDIA
www.rte.ie/rnag/
www.tg4.ie
GENERAL STUDENT/GRADUATE WEBSITES
Career Development Centre, degree opportunities:
www.nuigalway.ie/careers/students/degreeopp.html
Gradireland www.gradireland.com